The 2026-2027 Japanese women’s Daido Life SV.League season is about to serve off… in Thailand. For the first time in history, the league will hold matches outside Japan. The first double-header of the season – between Saga Hisamitsu Springs and Aleeza Aichi (formerly known as Queenseis Kariya) will be played in Bangkok on Saturday and Sunday, as the league gets underway in a new format. As in the previous two season, all matches will be streamed live and on demand on VBTV.
SV-Women 2026-2027
New-format Japanese SV.League season to serve off in… Thailand
Watch the women’s SV.League live on VBTV
Published 03:56, 08 Oct 2026
Aichi’s star Nootsara Tomkom set to play in front of Thai fans in Japanese SV.League season opener in Bangkok (source: svleague.jp)
- Watch Japan’s SV.League on VBTV
The new format
The 2026-2027 Japanese women’s Daido Life SV.League season will be conducted under a new format. The 14 participating teams are split into two conferences of seven – East and West. The regular season will consist of quadruple round-robins within each conference (24 matches per team) and a cross-conference double round-robin (14 matches per team) for a total of 38 matches per team. The ranking criteria remain the same as before, with the win-loss ratios and the points earned taken into consideration first and second.
A total of eight teams will advance to the playoffs – the top three of each conference and the top two among the remaining eight. The playoffs will consist of best-of-three quarterfinal, semifinal and final series. The quarterfinals and the semifinals will be hosted by the clubs ranked higher in the final regular season standings, while the final championship playoff will be played in Yokohama from April 17 to 19.
The teams
Aranmare Akita Shonai (previously Aranmare Yamagata), Astemo Rivale Ibaraki, Denso Airybees Koriyama, Gunma Green Wings, Kurobe Aqua Fairies Toyama, NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki and Saitama Ageo Medics are the seven teams to compete in the East Conference.
The West Conference will feature the teams of Aleeza Aichi, Okayama Seagulls, Osaka Marvelous, PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku, Saga Hisamitsu Springs, Toray Arrows Shiga and Victorina Himeji.
Saga Hisamitsu Springs, who will take on Aleeza Aichi in the season opener, are the defending champions. In last season’s final, they upset 2025 defending champions Osaka Marvelous, who had to settle for silver after also winning the Japanese national Empress Cup.
2026 bronze medalists NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, who won the regular season before being stunned by Marvelous in the semifinals, will once again be among the favorites for the 2027 crown. Their previous season was highlighted by winning the continental AVC Women’s Champions League trophy, thus qualifying for this year’s FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in December.
The stars
The new SV.League season will once again feature plenty of top-caliber international star players.
National team star Nichika Yamada and incoming Korean standout Lee Da-Hyeon are set to spearhead NEC Red Rockets’ middle blocker department, while Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor is expected to bring in the points in large numbers.
Denso Airybees’ roster is once again headlined by two Brazilian stars. For her fourth season with the club from Koriyama, opposite Rosamaria Montibeller will be joined by fellow Brazilian playmaker Roberta Ratzke. In addition, Colombian outside hitter Amanda Coneo is returning to Denso after a season in the Greek league.
One of Thailand’s favorites – outside Chatchu-On Moksri – has transferred to Ageo, where she will enjoy the company of compatriot libero Jidapa Nahuanong and American opposite Izabella Rapacz.
Celebrated Serbian middle blocker Jovana Stevanovic, the best scorer of last SV.League season Olivia Rozanski of Poland, and Vietnamese standout Tran Thi Thanh Thuy will provide stellar company to Japanese star middle blocker Haruyo Shimamura on Gunma’s squad.
Two American players – opposite Danielle Cuttino and outside Elia Rubin – highlight Astemo’s line-up. They will be in the company of Croatian star middle blocker Bozana Butigan.
Kurobe’s Chinese striker Gong Xiangyu and Aranmare’s Brazilian outside Leire Saito add to the glow in the East Conference.
Japanese national team star Kotona Hayashi is staying for yet another season with Osaka Marvelous, while American middle Brionne Butler and German opposite Hanna Orthmann will be among her new teammates.
Thai middle blocker Hattaya Bamrungsuk will try to defend the title she earned last season with her Saga Hisamitsu Springs teammates.
Iconic Thai setter Nootsara Tomkom and Dominican middle Jineiry Martínez are among the foreign stars on Aleeza’s squad.
Yet another Thai star – middle blocker Thatdao Nuekjang – once again highlights the PFU BlueCats roster, along with Cuban-born Japanese point-maker Melissa Valdes.
High-caliber Bulgarian middle Mira Todorova and Italian opposite Camilla Mingardi are returning for another season with Victorina Himeji, while Swedish outside Anna Haak is among the club’s new additions.
The West Conference will also enjoy the presence of Toray Arrows’ Ukrainian middle Diana Meliushkyna and her Okayama counterpart Tran Thi Bich Thuy of Vietnam.
